A New Study Claims You Should Only Be Working This Amount Of Hours Per Week

If you find yourself feeling more zombie than human at the end of a gruelling workweek, researchers say you likely need to cut back on how many hours you’re spending at the office.

A new study from the Australian National University claims 39 hours is the longest any employee should be spending with their nose to the grindstone in the run of a week. This is a stark contrast to the average of 47 hours per week logged by the average American worker.

"Long work hours erode a person's mental and physical health because it leaves less time to eat well and look after themselves properly,” said lead researcher Huong Dinh.

The study, which analyzed the habits of a sample of Australians between the ages of 24 and 65, found that women in particular should consider cutting back on how much time they spend at work. This is due to the pressures placed on women to complete domestic chores alongside their careers, said the researchers.

"Given the extra demands placed on women,” said Dinh, “it's impossible for women to work long hours often expected by employers unless they compromise their health.”

Alternately, their spouses could consider emptying the dishwasher for once.